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The Secret of Survival: Time and Memory #2

Even as someone born with visual impairment I know for a fact that we never stop having to adapt and learn new ways of doing things.

For me it’s coming up to a year since I lost all the vision in my right eye and I still sometimes turn around and forget that have to turn my head further than I used to and that I can’t look over my right shoulder.

We all have to carry on and adapt to our circumstances at a constant rate.

I remember a few years back driving somewhere, probably to a meeting, and catching a snatch of a novel read on the radio.

A character that had trained as a lawyer found he was unable to practice because he was too shy in court. So he made a new career as a proofreader. He was very successful and enjoyed being a proofreader and rose to the top of his profession.

But then one day after many years he had an eyesight problem. He cried over the proofs he had to check. Long exposure to printer’s ink had made him allergic to it. Another character asks, “What did you do?” He answers:

“What can anyone do in such circumstances? Accept it and go on. Please always remember, the secret of survival is to embrace change, and to adapt.”